The citizens of Ulster County are asking the Ulster County Legislature and County Executive Mike Hein to change its Resolution No. 431 to rip up the railroad tracks between Mile Post 10 and Mile Post 11.1.

Mile Post 11.1 is the Glenford Dike, where year-round tourist trains from Kingston could give tourists a view of the Ashokan Reservoir.

What should supporters do? They should call their legislators and ask them to amend Resolution No. 431 to keep the 1.1 mile of railroad track connecting the Kingston Polar Express Tracks with the Ashokan Reservoir view.

Also, supporters should ask their local restaurant and hotel businesses to get behind this effort to stop the Ulster County government from forever ripping up the tracks so we can’t run year-round tourist rrains to the Ashokan Reservoir.

If we don’t succeed in saving the Ashokan Reservoir Tourist Train tracks, we will be losing millions of dollars of tourist revenue. Also, our children, our visitors and future businesses will forever wonder how Ulster County could have made such a serious mistake.

Ralph Mitchell

Kingston, N.Y.

junior

Post subject: Re: CMRR 2017 Year-end Report

Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:48 am

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:07 amPosts: 671Location: Philadelphia Pa

bigjim4life wrote:

eehiv wrote:

To all:

The CMRR had a very successful year in 2017 - over 36,000 passengers carried and $1.1 million in revenue despite the loss of the west end of the railroad in Phoenicia.

Carrying over 24,000 people for Polar Express and over 6,000 for our leaf and pumpkin trains.

Hiring our first employee, Rob Gaston as Event Coordinator.

Despite the loss of the trackage to the Glenford Dike, the railroad will be pushing hard to expand its operable trackage in 2018, and establishing a permanent rail yard and station in Kingston.

Many thanks to our volunteers and customers for making this a great year for the CMRR, despite the incredibly short-sighted decision by our Landlord to remove trackage to our intended destination, the Glenford Dike.

On to 2018!

Ernie HuntCMRR

So, if my math is correct, 30,000 passengers in the last three or so months, and then 6K for the remainder of the year? So the question becomes, then, what are your plans to try to increase the number of passengers for the remainder of the year?

According to their reported ridership to the FRA, they carried just over 12,000 people March through October (almost 6500 alone in October), so yes, their overall ridership is down, but they also only operated for 16 days from May through September, 3 trips each of those days. Remember - they lost their long time operational base out of Mt. Tremper and are solely running out of Kingston now.

Otto Vondrak

Post subject: Re: Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) Discussion - 2017

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:53 pm

Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:17 amPosts: 172Location: New York

According to facebook posts, rails were ripped up along Glenford Dike at the Ashokan Reservoir sometime in the past week. Joint bars have been torched, rail will be scrapped.

According to the first page (as far as I've read so far!) of the PDF posted on the STB website, the organization has retained an attorney and paid the STB's $1400 filing fee.

_________________--Chris Webster

dinwitty

Post subject: Re: Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) Discussion - 2017

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:31 pm

Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pmPosts: 2182

I figured something underhanded might be going on here. I posted earlier somebody might just go in and quietly start ripping out the track and now its happenned. All you have to do is reread my posts. Well, we'll see what comes here, and it makes me wonder why that Kingston mayor was so rippedy nipedy if you know what I mean, it tells me something was up. And I think there is more to this story than what is getting revealed. Maybe now it will get revealed. It reminds me of someone stealing the EBT track and the Monon Bridge scrapper guy.

cjvrr

Post subject: Re: Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) Discussion - 2017

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:02 am

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:35 pmPosts: 320Location: NJ

I am not in any way affiliated with the CMRR but have been keeping tabs on their ordeal.

It is my understanding two different sections formerly used by the CMRR are being pulled. The first being West of the current operation. The County hired a contractor and that contractor is pulling the rails now. Not a theft issue.

The rails East of the current operation, in Kingston will also be pulled for a trail but I do not believe that work has begun yet as Kingston just voted on the conversion within the last month.

It has been my understanding that a railroad owner does not need STB approval to pull rail, track and OTM from a line they own. The owner just can't legally abandon said line. Pulling the rail may not be an STB issue. And remember this line has been without a shipper since 1976 and disconnected from the national rail network for around 20 years.

I am curious as to how the STB will rule on this. The agreement to go to the STB prior to rail removal seems to be an agreement between the County and NY State. Will the STB take sides on that issue?

Goes back to the common theme on this forum for rail operators to OWN the railroad property on which you operate.

dinwitty wrote:

I figured something underhanded might be going on here. I posted earlier somebody might just go in and quietly start ripping out the track and now its happenned. All you have to do is reread my posts. Well, we'll see what comes here, and it makes me wonder why that Kingston mayor was so rippedy nipedy if you know what I mean, it tells me something was up. And I think there is more to this story than what is getting revealed. Maybe now it will get revealed. It reminds me of someone stealing the EBT track and the Monon Bridge scrapper guy.

_________________cv the civil E in NJ

dinwitty

Post subject: Re: Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) Discussion - 2017

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:37 am

Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pmPosts: 2182

cjvrr wrote:

I am not in any way affiliated with the CMRR but have been keeping tabs on their ordeal.

It is my understanding two different sections formerly used by the CMRR are being pulled. The first being West of the current operation. The County hired a contractor and that contractor is pulling the rails now. Not a theft issue.

The rails East of the current operation, in Kingston will also be pulled for a trail but I do not believe that work has begun yet as Kingston just voted on the conversion within the last month.

It has been my understanding that a railroad owner does not need STB approval to pull rail, track and OTM from a line they own. The owner just can't legally abandon said line. Pulling the rail may not be an STB issue. And remember this line has been without a shipper since 1976 and disconnected from the national rail network for around 20 years.

I am curious as to how the STB will rule on this. The agreement to go to the STB prior to rail removal seems to be an agreement between the County and NY State. Will the STB take sides on that issue?

Goes back to the common theme on this forum for rail operators to OWN the railroad property on which you operate.

dinwitty wrote:

I figured something underhanded might be going on here. I posted earlier somebody might just go in and quietly start ripping out the track and now its happenned. All you have to do is reread my posts. Well, we'll see what comes here, and it makes me wonder why that Kingston mayor was so rippedy nipedy if you know what I mean, it tells me something was up. And I think there is more to this story than what is getting revealed. Maybe now it will get revealed. It reminds me of someone stealing the EBT track and the Monon Bridge scrapper guy.

Quote:

Note that most cases have to be filed by the owner of the track – and it’s also not entirely up to them. Shippers and other parties with an interest in keeping a rail line can contest abandonment; there’s an element of public interest involved and it comes from when railroads often had a monopoly on transportation. Abandonment could destroy a local economy.

note links above.

J3a-614

Post subject: Re: Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR) Discussion - 2017

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:48 pm

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 amPosts: 3132Location: Inwood, W.Va.

cjvrr wrote:

Goes back to the common theme on this forum for rail operators to OWN the railroad property on which you operate.

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